Editors' Picks: The Least Expected Watches Of 2024

It’s not controversial to suggest that 2024 was a pretty conservative year for watch releases. Even with that caveat, we are living in a time of creativity and outside-the-box thinking propelled by developments in manufacturing and bolstered by an open-minded collector community. Here our editorial team chose the watches they didn't see coming and the picks run the gamut from Cartier to microbrands to indie critical darlings with annual production numbers in the dozens. And there’s even a MoonSwatch in there. Before we give too much of it away, here are our picks for the least expected watches of 2024:

Blake Buettner: Kollokium Project 01

You could argue that 2024 has been a relatively conservative year as a whole, but there’s been plenty of interesting, even unexpected releases if you know where to look. The biggest surprise of the year for me came in the form of the Kollokium Project 01, a bit of neo-brutalist horology that I wrote about in full right here. The brand is a personal project for three enthusiasts, including Manuel Emch (of Louis Erard), Barth Nussbaumer, and Amr Sindi, as an attempt to “transcend the confines of traditional watchmaking.” That is just what they’ve done here, and that’s why it is my most unexpected watch release of 2024. From the case, to the dial, to the strap choice, every part of the watch represents an element of creativity that rises above the conventional. 

Taking a step back, this watch represents a trend of putting a greater focus on personal creative projects that reach a smaller, but tighter audience. With many recognizing that the small, microbrand, or independent brand space is where the most exciting ideas are being expressed, we’re seeing a greater factorization of projects such as Kollokium. This is a trend I welcome, and it’s something I hope to see more of in 2025.

Erin Wilborn: Chanel Première Sound

Among a relatively underwhelming year of watch releases, for me, it’s the pieces that lean into experimentation, even excess, in the face of restraint and traditionalism that stick with me. Such is the way of a release like Chanel’s Première Sound. Is it a necklace? Is it a pair of headphones? Can you even call this a watch? Well, it’s all of the above, of course. 

It’s been well-documented that wired headphones have taken on an unexpected aura of chicness among Gen-Z as the Airpod and Bluetooth headphones have become ubiquitous (nostalgia marketing at its finest). The Première Sound is quite obviously, ahem, plugged into that trend, but executes it in a distinctly Chanel manner. The chain necklace aspect of the Première Sound (which is a mix of leather and gold-coated steel) directly calls to the distinct chain handle on its double-flap handbags, and each of the headphones sport the familiar double-c logo. The headphones are fully functional, and have a microphone for taking calls when necessary. Since we are here to talk about watches, after all, the timepiece that’s clipped into the long chain is a take on Chanel’s first watch (you can also find the wristwatch version of this reissue here), and its octagonal shape is directly inspired by the lines and simple geometry of the stopper on the iconic Chanel N°5 perfume. 

Ring watches, pendants, necklaces, and any form that isn’t wrist-bound have seemed to have been nixed from the collective imagination here in the 21st century, though the history of these pieces is as old as watchmaking itself. Though horological traditionalists may balk, something like the Première Sound, which is willing to reimagine watch-related goods with a decidedly contemporary bend, feels to me like a push in the right direction – or at least in a fun one –and a great safeguard against staleness and stagnation. That being said, the price on this is quite laughable to me, given that all of the gold elements on this piece are not solid gold but gold-coated, with what the brand details as 0.1 micron of gold; even wired headphones with the most premier sound technology typically are priced around $30; and the actual watch on the piece uses a quartz movement. Still, my fondness for this piece exists in the realm of the conceptual and the ideal rather than the practical.

Mark Bernardo: Cartier Privé Tortue Monopusher

The most successful watch brands over time tend to achieve that success by knowing precisely what their consumers want and delivering it, while keeping experimentation outside of their familiar parameters to a minimum. Admittedly, adhering too strictly to this ethos would tend to curb creativity and with it, the chance to expand that audience of buyers as tastes and trends evolve. One watchmaker that has always walked this line deftly is Cartier, whose status as an iconic brand was forged more than a century ago by defying the conventions of the time and making — gasp! — a wristwatch for men rather than ladies. This year’s crop of new Cartier watches included the mostly expected additions to the Panthère, Tank, and Santos families, but also something for the nerdiest echelons of the enthusiast community from its vintage-revival “Privé” collection, the 200-piece Tortue Monopoussoir limited edition.

The 43.7mm x 34.8mm precious-metal watch (yellow gold or platinum), takes its cues from one of Cartier’s historical shaped timepieces, and also one of its earliest — the Tortue (French for “turtle”) from 1912, which debuted a full five years before the Tank (1917). The new model re-creates a slightly more recent iteration of the Tortue from 1928, the first one equipped with a monopusher chronograph, and its modern descendant from 1998. Blending several eras of vintage appeal, its highlights include “apple”-shaped hands in blued steel, a hollowed-out central seconds hand, and triangular motifs in the dial’s corners. The two-register dial with elegant Roman numerals is bordered by a railway minute track, and the crown is fitted with a single pusher to activate the chronograph’s start, stop, and reset functions. Powering these functions is the manually winding, exquisitely decorated Caliber 1928 MC (note the numeral’s call-out to the original model year), on display behind a sapphire caseback that spotlights the motion of the gear train, column wheel, and Geneva-wave-finished, beveled bridges. It’s difficult to describe an “unexpected” watch as exceeding expectations, but the Tortue Monopoussoir certainly comes close to fitting that bill.

Bilal Khan: Berneron Mirage 34

Just off the heels of its 2024 GPHG Audacity award is the Berneron Mirage, one of the most unexpected and creatively, well, audacious watches in recent memory. After last year’s debut came the smaller Mirage 34 models with Lapis Lazuli and Tiger Eye stone dials as well as a new movement. The brainchild of Breitling Creative Director Sylvain Berneron, the Mirage is a a Dali-esque mastery of design as well as business savvy, as demonstrated by the successful leveraging of industry know-how in order to get these elaborate small production watches made (though the success and accolades have likely made this task easier). The 34mm wide, 7mm thick, and 38mm tall watch is indeed small, but the statement it makes is as big as any we’ve seen from a watchmaker old or new. Priced at about 55,000 CHF, the Berneron Mirage 34 is going to be very limited with numbers capping at just a couple of dozen pieces per annum.

Jonathan McWhorter: Mission To Earthphase MoonSwatch

“Okay, Jonathan, you really didn’t expect to see another MoonSwatch this year? Are you sure about that?” While you may have a point that another edition of everyone’s favorite bioceramic collectible is not exactly a surprise, I stand by my position that this was not what anyone expected to see out of a Moonswatch. True, it was a slow year for interesting new watches, but that should not take away from the intrigue of the Mission to Earthphase; with a take on the MoonSwatch featuring both the moon-phase, and a never-before-seen complication in the Earthphase subdial showing phases of the Earth as-seen from the moon.

For no discernible reason, as a kid I developed an obsession with the moon, and that mild obsession has carried through into adulthood. I can tell you now, that this obsession with the moon is rooted in the fact that this is the only place in our universe from which a human being on their own two feet, has looked back at and seen the Earth in its entirety. That fact blows me away every time I consider it. The ISS is still too near in orbit to get such a wide view, and that alone has been known to elicit profound emotional responses in those lucky enough to experience it (see: The Overview Effect). I can only imagine the sense of awe felt by those astronauts when they first laid eyes on our blue marble.

I subject you, dear reader, to all of this exposition to put some context around why I think Mission to Earthphase is my least expected watch of the year. Put simply: what makes this watch so unexpected is the same reason that makes the Overview Effect so powerful. Not to overly romanticize a mass-produced quartz watch (even though there’s nothing wrong with that), but the idea of looking back at the Earth and tracking its phases relative to the moon really is quite a clever and romantic idea. It’s so easy to get caught up in looking at everything from a selfish, human-centric position that flipping it around can give a visceral sense of place and perspective. There’s so much more going on in the universe than your particular slice of timezone on your world timer; we are simply a pale blue dot in a sunbeam, and the Earthphase is a reminder of that.

Even though I do wish that Swatch had workshopped the name a bit, I think this is a brilliant execution on a theme that was, frankly, beginning to feel thin. We’ve done the planets, we’ve got Snoopy (my personal favorite), we’re set to leave well enough alone: another MoonSwatch is not needed, let’s leave this on a high note.

Danny Milton: Tissot PRX Carbon

When I approach a year-end review category like this, I take it perhaps too literally. And it is with that mindset that I find myself dwelling on the Tissot PRX Carbon, a watch I 100% did not expect to see this year. Sure, carbon cases are all the rage in the watch world. We’ve seen brands like Unimatic and Doxa use them to great effect, and I must sat that carbon looks great on a dive watch. But imagining what the PRX represents, which is a retro-modern take on the integrated sports watch at a sub-$1,000 price, would have never led me to believe that a future iteration could be made in carbon. Having now seen it in the…carbon… this new PRX really works in this execution. The carbon dial which flows into the carbon case works seamlessly with the rubber strap (though a carbon bracelet would have also been sweet). It’s no longer retro-modern, but fully modern and fully realized. In my mind, this is how you iterate on a design that works for you. The PRX Carbon has moved the needle forward for Tissot in 2024 and if it’s a sign of things to come, count me interested.

D.C. Hannay: Serica Parade

Anyone who knows me knows of my abiding love for vintage (and vintage-styled) tool watches, and that’s why I’m such an ardent fan of the entire Serica aesthetic. From its 6190 Field Chronometer, which puts a refined, bezel-forward spin on the field watch trope, to the tough-but-chic 5303 Diving Chronometer and 8315 Travel Chronometer GMT models, I’m clearly the target demographic for Serica’s intoxicating blend of rugged capability and urbane cool. So much so that the 5303-3 in Bleu Cristallin is among my daily-est of daily drivers. So when I got wind that the French microbrand was about to drop a dress watch, needless to say, I was intrigued. But, with Serica being Serica, I knew to expect the unexpected. 

While I do have a few vintage dress watches, I know two things about myself. One, I have an infrequent need for a formal piece, apart from the occasional wedding or other adult-type function. Secondly, my enthusiasm for outdoor activities and, quite frankly, my own personal lack of grace and utter disregard for keeping my wristwear blemish-free precludes dress watches from daily use. I actually wear the watches I own, and nothing stays in the box. Given my own lifestyle, I just don’t see the point in owning a safe queen, and although they get trotted out a few times a year, a dress watch is more of a benchwarmer in my collection. But this new Serica has made me rethink things. 

Dubbed the 1174 Parade, the newest Serica deftly straddles the line that divides formality and sport. Unconventional ‘60s and ‘70s shapes are all the rage these days, with vintage Cartiers like the Crash commanding the auction spotlight, and newer contenders like Toledano & Chan’s B/1, Audemars Piguet’s [Re]Master02, and Anoma’s A1 generating plenty of heat, but the Parade takes a somewhat less outrageous shape. Serica calls it a “Stadium” case, and its basic outline recalls the Cartier Baignoire or the Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse, but it’s from this point that things escalate quickly. The 35mm x 41mm x 8.6mm dimensions are well within dress watch conventions, but the stainless steel case features a rather prominent stepped bezel and case-side details that evoke the sporty side of Patek. But the biggest surprise, in spite of its slim case height, is the Parade’s downright sporty 100-meter water resistance rating. So falling in the pool at the Oscar afterparty won’t be a problem, but rest assured, the Parade is still a dress watch. 

An intriguing dial texture shows off an S-curved guilloché pattern, punctuated by tiny spherical indices, and rendered in either satiny black or soft brass tones. The domed sword hands are mirror-polished, and fittingly, there’s no seconds hand to interrupt your own private reverie. An automatic Soprod M100 caliber makes sure you’re never late for cocktails, and the whole affair comes together on a black calf strap, with a beautifully sculpted pin buckle that mirrors the case’s stadium shape. And despite the considerable effort put into the design and execution, Serica has managed to keep the Parade at around $1,500 retail. It’s a totally unexpected surprise, from a microbrand renowned for its debonair tool watches. Now that’s my kind of dress watch.